What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Polishing fun

LettersFromFlyoverCountry

Well Known Member
I have to admit, I've really fallen in love with the look of a polished RV. When I was building, I had enough dings and scratches in the thing that I thought, 'well, I can't polish it now."

Then at Oshkosh, I saw a polished Cessna 195 and knew that -- especially since I can't afford a paint job -- polishing was the way to go. So I walked over to the Nuvite tent and opened the checkbook and said, "give me what I need."

For the past month, I've been working on the 7A. I'm losing my heated hangar so I needed to get it done.

I probably could've done a better job than I did, but I'm pretty happy with it nonetheless. I knew I had done enough when my sister was visiting from Maine for the holidays.

"I want to take a picture of you and your airplane," she said.

Then she set up the shot.

polish_pix.jpg
 
Looks good! I finished polishing my 6A this time last year and haven't had any second thoughts about polishing. It does not take much to keep it looking good, just debug after each flight which is easy with water and a microfiber towel. I just need to slow down enough to finish the fiberglass parts and paint them.
 
I am impressed, Bob.

Could you list what you bought from Nuvite to do the job?

Having more time than money, I've been thinking about a polish job for the 8. :)
 
Sure. I'm sure I bought more than I needed but there were show specials and such.

There were two machines...the right angle polisher and two wool polishing muffs probably could be had cheaper at Harbor Freight but it was Oshkosh and when you're buying stuff at Oshkosh, it's not like you're spending real money, right.

Those are used for the F7 -- the more abrasive -- and the Grade C (slightly less abrasive) passives. I probably COULD have used a Grade G for a couple of spots where there were deeper scratches and/or oxidation (like along the lines where I'd cut away blue plastic from a rivet line), but it came out fine and as I polish in the future, those will come out.

Then an orbital buffer is used with a cotton fleece wrapped around it for the Final Grade S polish that removes most of the swirl marks and leaves the nice reflection.

I probably went through one can (which I think is a pound) of the Grade F7 and a half can of the Grade C. I probably used two or three cotton fleece wraps. I had four wool polishing muffs and had two in circulation at a time and I'd wash the other two as need by by soaking it in white/TCP solution for 24 hours, rinsing and drying.

I bought a TON of microfiber towels -- they were on special for 3/$2.50 at Ace-- and I used less than a gallon of Mineral spirits because you should get as much of the polish off -- and wipe the surface down -- before moving on to the next trade polish.

The total cost of everything at Oshkosh was about $900.

It probably looks a little funny now because I haven't painted the fiberglass parts -- gotta figure out who can do that without bankrupting me -- but this plane I saw next to Bernie Ockuly's at Oshkosh made me fall in love with it.

cessna_195.jpg


I could have the full cowl painted and then bring it back into the top skin and curve a stripe down like this one, replacing "195" with "RV-7A."

What got me interested in polishing was seeing Jed Gregerson's 7 when he and Stein let me use their hangar during flight testing. It's gorgeous. Perfect, even. I'm nowhere near in that league. Jed also painted the underside, which makes a lot of sense, and the leading edges.
 
Bob, that's a great shot of you and your sister! But do you have another one, showing the whole plane? I'm sure I'm not the only one that would like to see it. :) Nice job!
 
Looks great, Bob!

And I should know because I've "been there, done that".

Polished_RV9-A.jpg



You can do a lot with the fiberglass for not much money. Some of the newer silver paints I have seen on new Volkswagon and Lexus are really close to the polished metal look. A base coat / clear coat can be done on small parts and even the cowl with less than a quart of paint.

The only problem with a polished plane is that everyone wants to touch it!

Welcome to the Club!
(You realize that this is an illness don't you?)
 
Last edited:
I'll have to take one. I had started polishing parts and then flying, polishing another part, then flying. Then, after I had the prop balanced and canceled the flight back East, I just said, "Sc*** it, I'm going to park it and finish it." It's such a messy job that the pictures weren't very good and I didn't think the gym-style mercury vapor lights in the old hangar did justice to cellphone pictures -- they all look blue.

Like this one. I don't think this does anything for me...

polished_final.jpg


I kinda think, by the way, that the reason I got kicked out of the nice hangar I was in was all the tracking on the floor from polish/aluminum, even though I put a tarp down (On Saturday, my last day, I did scrub the floor with hot water/TSP, which was my intention all along).

I'll try to roll it out in the sun as soon as I get some ice cleats (to be able to roll it back in) and shoot a picture, but I can tell you it doesn't look anywhere near as sexy as Jim's.
 
Last edited:
Stripes

Hi Ralph,

All the stripes are made from high quality vinyl. They have held up well and still look like new after five years....including multiple polishings right over the top of them.

Any of the companies that make custom boat vinyl trim can make these from an appropriate graphics file. If you ask, many of them will cut a paper pattern that you can use to check the design before cutting the finished vinyl.
 
Graphics

If you're looking for vinyl graphics, why not get them from Vince Frazier at
Flyboy Accessories. He advertises on here and his son Blake who makes them up is a pleasure to work with on your designs.

They did mine and they are a work of art. Matched my paint perfectly.
 
fiberglass polish

A local custom painter (motorcycles & boats mostly) just showed me a new paint system/process he has aquired. The result looks exactly like chrome plated metal. I could not distingush between various painted samples and my truck bumper. This could work well for finishing fiberglass parts. I was considering it for a spinner but he warned that it was just paint and might become damaged on a spinner due to people using the prop as a handle to move the aircraft. Anyhow just an idea for a fully polished look. Russ
 
Chrome paint ...

I ran across a demo of that new chrome paint on Jay Leno's Garage site ... a video showing the spraying process and results. I have to say, the final finish is jaw-dropping. I never would have believed a paint could give that kind of shine and reflection. Amazing stuff.

I was completely resigned to painting my plane until I saw that pic of Jim Ellis' beauty. THAT really turned my head. Now I'm thinking like Bob C. I could have an RV masquerading as a Globe Swift! :D
 
I ran across a demo of that new chrome paint on Jay Leno's Garage site ... a video showing the spraying process and results. I have to say, the final finish is jaw-dropping. I never would have believed a paint could give that kind of shine and reflection. Amazing stuff.

I was completely resigned to painting my plane until I saw that pic of Jim Ellis' beauty. THAT really turned my head. Now I'm thinking like Bob C. I could have an RV masquerading as a Globe Swift! :D

Wow - that spray on process is impressive. You were right...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-1cTpSZ1l8

Can't wait to see someone try this on the FG parts of a polished RV.
 
Couldn't find any product info, though. I did find a Spray-On Chrome company in Clearwater, but couldn't determine a cost vs. standard paint. It did mention it involves real silver, though. Urp.
 
My hangar mates have a beautifully polished Sonex and I picked up some polishing tips from them. Use a small amount of the Nuvite, but spray your polishing wheel with mineral spirits. This renews the polish. I have polished selected areas of my -6A so I could apply the N-numbers and the wing walks, but the rest of it is still dull and shop-rashed. It's been more fun to fly it after more than a decade to build it! I have more money than time (actually not much of that either), so maybe my good friend Dave will polish mine for me and I will buy him lunch.
 
That Cessna 195 in the photo above used to be mine. It was a mess when I got it and took many days to get it looking decent. I'm planning to polish my next project. It's easier to start with fresh aluminum!
 
It was with the Metro Warbirds group at Oshkosh, where I ran into the great Bernie Ockuly, and vowed if I fly into Oshkosh someday, I want to camp with those guys!
 
My hangar mates have a beautifully polished Sonex and I picked up some polishing tips from them. Use a small amount of the Nuvite, but spray your polishing wheel with mineral spirits. This renews the polish. I have polished selected areas of my -6A so I could apply the N-numbers and the wing walks, but the rest of it is still dull and shop-rashed. It's been more fun to fly it after more than a decade to build it! I have more money than time (actually not much of that either), so maybe my good friend Dave will polish mine for me and I will buy him lunch.

Not this year, Jim. But you can buy me lunch any time. :)
 
Bob,

Try Cornstarch and a microfiber towel to clean after the S finish.

I did not like using Mineral spirits because it would flash the shine.

Cornstarch is the solution and it does not smell as bad.

Crack the box open and pour all over and rub in. Then use a clean
microfiber to clean up.

You will be amazed at the results.
 
Bob, once again I have to give you credit. There is just something about a polished plane...

I can't look at one anymore without thinking of a sign I saw at the Gathering of Mustangs and Legends meeting back in '07. It was on Quicksilver, a beautiful P-51. It said, "The bare metal on this P-51D is polished. Look closely into the metal. You will see for whom our veterans fought."

Bob
 
Quicksilver ....

.... In that black and polished finish, will ALWAYS be one of the finest looking 51s. I never see a P-51 I don't like, but Quicksilver is special in terms of appearance. :)
 
All the stripes are made from high quality vinyl. They have held up well and still look like new after five years....including multiple polishings right over the top of them.

I wanted to follow up with this...so you can continue re-polishing the aluminum without fear of damaging the vinyl? Do you have to take special precautions...can you continue to use powered polishers/buffers?

I'm more and more inclined to do what you did, polished Al with some accent marks.
 
Rash?

How do the little dents and dings from building (in my case any way) look when they're polished? Do they look like polished dents and dings, or do they fade more into the shine?
 
Thanks

Thanks for this thread Bob. I had honestly not considered polishing until I saw Jim's plane pic in the thread.

@Jim -- Absolutely stunning! I am very impressed. Considering I am not planning to paint right away, I love what you have done as an option to the bare unfinished look I had planned on for my first year.
 
chrome vinyl now possible too....

Wow - that spray on process is impressive. You were right...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-1cTpSZ1l8

Can't wait to see someone try this on the FG parts of a polished RV.

...and there are a few new vinyl wrap products that are pretty darn chrome.
as you can see from this and other videos, it's possible, with some planning, to wrap something like the cowling, but to do a wheel pant is going to take an expert installer, and/or some creative seams or graphics to help make it work!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xE1t6mWFDZk&NR=1
 
I wanted to follow up with this...so you can continue re-polishing the aluminum without fear of damaging the vinyl? Do you have to take special precautions...can you continue to use powered polishers/buffers?

I'm more and more inclined to do what you did, polished Al with some accent marks.

Ralph,
Use the S and cyclo only then you would not have to tape off.
Anything higher grade would scratch the vinyl.
 
How do the little dents and dings from building (in my case any way) look when they're polished? Do they look like polished dents and dings, or do they fade more into the shine?
,



Tom,

Scratches will come out. Dings and dents don't. Just look like
nice polished dings and dents. Better than Bondo.:D
 
I guess it's a matter of taste: Whether you like painted dings and dents or polished dings and dents.

The RV crowd at Oshkosh will spot both so it's not like you're really hiding anything.
 
Ralph,
Use the S and cyclo only then you would not have to tape off.
Anything higher grade would scratch the vinyl.

Yes, confirmed. I tried to cheat and applied a product from a local manufacturer who claimed when applied it would dry rock hard and crystal clear eliminating the need to polish again for years, was UV resistant, and makes bugs easy to clean off. The bug part is true but when it dried it turned hazy....soooooo I had to use F7 to buff it off and in the process ruined my nose art vinyl. I've used 'S' for 2 years and probably 6 thorough polishing sessions and never had an issue with the vinyl.

This was a great thread. Never heard of using Corn Starch and I'm not exactly sure what the chemical/mechanical process is but it really does work. Just repolished my -8 and finished up with corn starch and it really helps. Oh...I also discovered the difference between Corn Starch and Corn Meal (I suck in the kitchen). Corn Meal does not work! :)

Thanks!
 
Use the S and cyclo only then you would not have to tape off.
Anything higher grade would scratch the vinyl.
YMMV... I have black and yellow trim on my polished -6, and find that if I don't mask off the yellow, the polish makes it "dirty" looking... Some of the black oxidation from the pads gets deposited on the vinyl as I pass over it. Same for the yellow paint on my fibreglass, it picks up a dirty edge as well if the polisher gets too close before I've masked it.

A roll of painters tape protects the paint nicely, but I haven't worked up the nerve to try taping over my vinyl... I'm afraid i'll remove the vinyl when I remove the masking later!
 
YMMV... I have black and yellow trim on my polished -6, and find that if I don't mask off the yellow, the polish makes it "dirty" looking... Some of the black oxidation from the pads gets deposited on the vinyl as I pass over it. Same for the yellow paint on my fibreglass, it picks up a dirty edge as well if the polisher gets too close before I've masked it.

A roll of painters tape protects the paint nicely, but I haven't worked up the nerve to try taping over my vinyl... I'm afraid i'll remove the vinyl when I remove the masking later!

As long as you don't wait too long (the glue stes up over time) and use reasonable quality tape, I can't imagine it'd be an issue, as long as you try to always pull toward the edge of the vynl....
 
As long as you don't wait too long (the glue stes up over time) and use reasonable quality tape, I can't imagine it'd be an issue, as long as you try to always pull toward the edge of the vynl....

I can try it, after all the painter's tape is designed to peel and the vinyl is designed to stick... My vinyl is in stripes ~1" wide for most of the length... It's not easy to pull towards an edge unless it's pulling away from the opposite edge... :)
 
Back
Top